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Two Irishmen arrested over cruel trafficking of puppies

TWO Irishmen have been arrested in the past month on suspicion of transporting car loads of pedigree puppies in cruel conditions for sale in Scotland, where the animals fetch higher prices.

The puppies, many of them only three weeks old, were said by police to have been held in appallingly cramped conditions. The arrests have prompted Scottish parliament to introduce new laws to halt the trafficking of pups, which animal welfare groups claim has increased in the past year.

The arrests have also increased pressure on the Irish government to introduce a proper licensing system to try and regulate dog breeding in Ireland. One Irish dog breeder, from the north, was caught after disembarking from a Northern Irish ferry. Police searched his trailer and found 102 puppies, ranging from St Bernards to shih-tzus, packed into boxes. Police suspect the puppies were from a large puppy farm in Ireland.